Navigating Europe's roads can be either an exhilarating experience or harrowing escape, based on where or when you choose to travel. One thing is certain: No matter what country you drive through or how far you go, you must understand the rules of the road to be a successful and safe European traveler.

Living in Europe means you’ll have a few extra steps to take when refueling your vehicle. Knowing the rules regarding tax-free fuel and rations will ensure that you continue to purchase discounted fuel at the current tax-free price arranged between the U.S. government and your host country.

The European Union has a consumption tax called Value Added Tax similar to U.S. sales tax. The average VAT is 20 percent and is automatically included in the merchandise or service price, not added at the register. However, members of the U.S. military and Department of Defense civilians in Europe are granted exemption or relief from paying the VAT on many personal purchases in most European countries.

For many of us, a stressful aspect of moving to Europe is the transportation of our four-legged family members. I worried the entire 11-hour flight to Germany about my dog and cat, but they were both eagerly awaiting us at baggage claim, no worse for the wear. After a thorough examination of our pets’ records by customs, we started the journey to our new home.

House-hunting in Europe

You finally made it. And, you’re exhausted. Instead of being excited about your first day in Europe, all you can think about is locating a hot shower, a little food and a bed for 15 hours of sleep. Adjusting to the move and time change is going to take a few days. Adjusting to life in Europe and locating a home may take a little longer. Before you lie down for that nap of champions, take a quick look at these tips to help guide you in your search.

Getting the chance to live in Europe is something many people only dream of. But once you are here and begin to settle into a routine, you will quickly notice there are many differences from life in America. Adjusting to these differences and learning to live like a local will improve your European experience and help you feel at home.

Latest Travel blogs

Spouse Calls

Unpacking my suitcase after returning from a visit last week with my mom, I almost overlooked one of the gifts I brought home. Among the treasures was one item that might not seem like much of a gift — a little blue inventory sticker.

Spouse Calls

Spouse Calls

Before the Battle of Thermopylae between thousands of Persian soldiers and three hundred warriors of the Greek city-state of Sparta, so the story goes, Xerxes, the Persian king, attempted to convince Sparta’s king, Leonides, that the vastly outnumbered Spartan force should lay down their weapons.

Spouse Calls

Mary Ward said she sometimes feels invisible. In reality, she is indispensable, the sole caregiver for her veteran husband, Tom, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS is “a lonesome disease,” Mary said. “You feel grief all the time at different levels. You want to be able to say that you feel sad, but people don’t like that. They don’t want to address this with you.”

Spouse Calls

Spouse Calls

The uncharacteristic alacrity in the passing of the Clay Hunt Act provides hope that veterans’ needs remain on the minds of those who make our laws. It’s been on the minds of military members and their families for a long time.

The Hughes Glomar Explorer was built at enormous cost for an audacious Cold War task: to recover a sunken Soviet submarine from beneath three miles of water and capture the nuclear missiles, code books, and decoding machines that lay within it. It's a CIA spy ship so secret that even now, 40 years later, the breadth of its mission has never been fully declassified.

Learn from one traveler's mistakes

Military OneSource is once again offering a free, electronic tax filing service. If you are eligible under the Military OneSource program, you can complete, save, and file your 2011 federal and up to three state returns online free with the H&R Block At Home® tool.